Snowboarding & Vegas

The weekend went by too soon. To describe it as what feels like a week is totally an understatement. Hey a lot of people don't do stuff like that.

A bunch of my friends from NorCal & SoCal ( i love you guys, btw!) got together and we headed for some snowboarding. I don't really have much time to spread around. Sure there might not be powder, but hey we had fun. Hahaha, a lot of laughter, a lot of joy. Watching other guys just snowboard down with zero worries, and those lil kids who just zoom down. Maybe it's true, the younger you are, the less worries you have. Hmmm... But i had fun. Pictures would be posted shortly. I still have ski lift phobia. The funny thing about the place we went , which is Mountain High at CA somewhere off San Bernardino, is you have to take a ski lift over the intermediate hill to get to the beginner slopes. So when the park closes, we have to either choose option A) snowboard your ass down the intermediate slope (which is really scary...) or B) stop the ski lift, and take it down, holding your board with you. For someone who hasn't snowboarded for two years, i had tons of fear, and less guts. I was freaking out, and couldn't do toeside turns (still can't...after a day,...dammit). By the end of the day, we scooted the intermediate slope, and of cos my other friends Robin and Ted reminded me i won't die, and it's gonna be fine. I was scared, it was steep. We were laughing like crazy, and absolutely scared out of my wits. I could accumulate snow between my legs, cos i was sliding down if i sit down on the slope.

With that, we ended and then went off to have shabu shabu in J-town and sake. Huge ass bottle of sake. I have to say nothing ends a day of snow better than shabu shabu. You get all warm & fuzzy. Knock out from the lack of sleep, was awake at about 7am that friday morn, plus some boarding, and then sake. Lethal combi, and i set immediately to sleep when i dragged myself into the car. Not before declaring I am not gonna drive.

The next morning, we were up early to yumcha, before heading to Vegas. Vegas was a blast too. The strip has changed quite a fair bit, since i last went. We stayed at the Mirage, but were everywhere else, from Wynn, to Wynn's latest Encore, to Venetian, back to Mirage. We were out and about, playing poker, roulette, texas. And i was of cos drinking myself silly at every table. I didn't really care if i shouldn't drink while gambling. Afterall, it's Vegas. I think Vegas is really over-the-top when it comes to everything. Everyone's dressed up, and you can drink everywhere.

I must say i had a blast. I really am appreciative of the friends, the weekend they sacrifice to be with me. And how they throw caution to the wind, when they are out with me. I can't believe it's been somewhere between 10-12 years since we first met. True, i might have been tired, but i still love it.

:) Like Ted said , i'm off to where my real holidays, back home to Nashville.